SoFi Stadium vibrated like the heart of a living beast. Massive LED walls rippled with crimson light and claw marks. Lasers pierced the dusk. Drones swirled above, catching every spark of flame and surge of the crowd. It wasn’t just a show—it was an event. Tens of thousands of voices, bodies, lights. The biggest venue Feral Eclipse had ever headlined.

Mark stood at the lighting rig with a rare, crooked grin. “You realize we just hit a full stadium sellout, right? And didn’t rent a single damn spotlight?”

Thane chuckled, arms crossed as he leaned near the pyro crew’s station. “And we still have millions in reserve.”

Mark nodded toward the stage. “Kinda wild to think this all started with a busking set in a city plaza.”

Thane followed his gaze.

Yeah. Wild.

The set was already halfway in when Gabriel froze mid-riff. Not from a mistake—he never missed — but because he’d just locked eyes with someone in the front row.

Two people.

A boy, a little taller now, maybe eleven, still wide-eyed and clutching the barricade like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

And beside him — his father. Clean-cut, serious, understated in every way except for the jet-level energy that radiated off him. They stood dead center. VIP section. No flash, no fanfare. Just presence.

Gabriel’s tail curled tightly. He stepped toward Thane on instinct between verses, mic still hot.

“They’re here,” he murmured.

Thane followed his eyes — and his heart just about stopped.

The last time he saw them, the band had been nearly ruined. Their gear stolen. Their future uncertain. They’d regrouped in a plaza with nothing but one light, one bass, and a stubborn dream. That boy had shown up with stars in his eyes. And that man — his father — had changed everything.

Not with words.

With belief.

A quarter million dollars, wired without hesitation. “For the boy,” he’d said. “Because you gave him something priceless.”

That one act had rebuilt Feral Eclipse. Not just financially — spiritually. They’d never forgotten.

After the final encore and a thunderstorm of fire and fog, the band regrouped backstage, still panting, still glowing. Security guided the crowd into neat lines for the meet-and-greet.

But the boy and his father didn’t wait in line.

They were escorted straight through by a stadium handler who barely said a word, just nodded like he knew exactly what this moment was.

Gabriel stepped forward, eyes wet and wild, and knelt without hesitation.

The boy flew into his arms, nearly knocking him over.

“You really came,” Gabriel whispered, voice cracked with emotion.

The boy nodded fiercely. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Thane turned to the father and extended his clawed hand. This time, the grip lingered. A silent, unbreakable bond passed between them.

“You didn’t just fund a band,” Thane said quietly. “You brought a pack back from the edge.”

The father gave a rare, quiet smile. “You gave my son something to believe in. That’s worth more than money.”

He reached into his coat and handed Thane a thick, engraved invitation.

“We’ve got the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton downtown. We’re throwing a little private celebration. Nothing formal. Just… friends. Pack. Family. Thought you all might like to come raise a glass.”

Gabriel blinked. “You’re serious?”

The man just gave that same faint nod. “Plane’s waiting at Van Nuys for tomorrow. But tonight? You’re ours.”

🥂 The Sky Suite

The Ritz-Carlton presidential suite sat high above the glittering LA skyline—walls of glass, velvet lounge seating, imported whiskey, a grand piano no one could quite remember how to play. The wraparound balcony stretched over the edge of the world.

The boy darted between rooms with awe in his eyes. The band spread out across plush furniture, trading toasts, inside jokes, and video replays of the night’s drone-captured show footage.

Mark found himself laughing too loud. Rico and Jonah wrestled over a bottle of Champagne. Cassie cranked an old stereo and howled along to their own tracks.

Out on the balcony, Thane and Gabriel leaned on the railing, watching the city pulse beneath them.

“I still can’t believe it,” Gabriel whispered. “That they came. That they saw us… like this.”

Thane reached out and gently nuzzled Gabriel’s muzzle, forehead to forehead, clawed hand resting softly at his wolf’s side.

“They saw us when no one else did,” he murmured. “Now the whole damn world sees it.”

Behind them, the boy held up his phone and took a picture—just a quick, quiet snap of the moment. No filters. No effects.

Just truth.